Method of packaging elongated articles



Jan. 13, 1953 R. T. WHITE 2,624,989

METHOD OF PACKAGING ELONGATED ARTICLES Filed Aug. 5. 1949 mam INVENTOR.

RAY I 1401/ TE flTTOR/VEYS Patented Jan. 13, 1953 METHOD OF PACKAGING ELONGATED. ARTICLES Ray T. White, Rocky River, 0111a,, assignor to The- Hankins Container Company; Cleveland, Ohio,

a corporation of Ohio Application August 3, 1949, SerialNo. 108,378

2 claims. 1

This invention relates to packaging elongated articles and more particularly to an improvedcorrugated paper package for protectively en closing fluorescent lamp tubes or the like and an improved method of packaging such articles.

The general utility of fluorescent lamp tube packages or'wrappers depends upon the measure of protection afforded the wrapped or packaged tube from harmful contact with outside objects. To be eifective, the package or wrapper should not only protectively cover the glass portion of the tube but also the projecting contact prongs which extend from each end of the tube. Difficulty has been experienced with prior fluorescent tube packages with which I am familiar due to longitudinal shifting of the tube in the package with resultant injury to the contact prongs. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a neat and'compact fluorescent tube package which is completely effective as a protective covering for the tube proper and also for the contact prongs.

Further objects of' my invention are: the pro vision of a fluorescent tube package that will prevent substantial shifting or sh-ucking of the tube during shipment and handling and thus prevent damage to the tube by such movements and the provision of an improvedand economical method of packaging fluorescent tubes that permits the use of relatively heavy wrapping, material and is particularly adapted to being carried out-by automatic machinery.

These and other objects of my invention willappear from the following description of one form thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure I is a plan view of the wrapper blank;

Figure 2 is an end view of the wrapper taken on line 2--2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical cross. sectional view taken substantially on line 3--3. of Figure 1;

Figured is a plan view of the Wrapper blank showing the end flaps folded inwardly and a fluorescent lamp disposed thereupon;

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical cross sectional view taken substantially on line 5--5 of Figure; 4;

Figure 6' is a side elevational view of the finished package containing the tube;

Figure 7 is an end view of the package taken substantially on line 1-! of Figure 6;

Figure 8 is a vertical cross sectional view taken substantially on line 8--8 of Figure 6;

Figure 9 is a fragmentary end view of a preferred arrangement of forming rolls adapted to be used to continuously form the corrugated paper from which the blanks are cut; and

Figure l0is a perspective view of my assembled package.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings, reference. character I. designates generally a. blank of corrugated paper or board which may be cut from a continuous roll or strip of packaging material, the corrugated in ner wall 2 of which is. preferably formed by passage between forming rolls. 9 and I0, seen. in

Figure 9. and explained in detail below, and consists: of alternate flat or non-corrugated portions 4 and corrugated portions 5. The noncorrugated backing 3 is glued to the corrugated inner-wall 2 in the manner well known in the art. Blanks I are formed by cutting equal lengths of" this wrapping material: along the junctions. be

tween flat portions 4 and the adjacent corrugated portions 5, thereby forming an outer edge 6 on the flat portion 4 and an outer edge I on the corrugated portion 5 of each blank.- The flat portion 4 of blank I constitutes an integralsecuring flap which is joined to the corrugated portion 5 along the common edge 8 and which is adapted to hold the assembled package in a wrapped portion, as will be explained later.

In order to preform the inner wall 2 as described above, a pair "of toothed forming rolls Band I'll (see Figure 9) may be used. The effective circumferences of theserolls are substantially the same as the overall length of blank l 1|, and the rolls are arranged to rotate on their respective axes H and I2 in proper forming relation to each other. Rolls 9 and ill have radially projecting forming teeth: I3 and I4 on their respective peripheries, which teeth are as the crown of the forming teeth I3, and roll II has acorresponding blank portion l6 on its periphery which has a diameter equal to the diameter of the root or base of theforming;

teeth [4. In other words, the roll 9 has a series of small forming teeth 13 and one large forming teeth 15 on its periphery, and similarly, forming roll Ill has a series of small forming teeth M and a large gap l6 therebetween on its periphery. Rolls 9 and ill are caused to rotate in the directions indicated by the arrows by suitable power means (not shown) and they are pref erably interconnected to prevent relative circumferential slippage and insure proper register of the meshing portions thereof.

As a continuous strip of flat paper stock, which is to be formed into the inner wall 2 of my wrapping material, is fed between the rolls 9 and I (from right to left as viewed in Figure 9) the intermeshing teeth I3 and I4 thereon will form corrugations 5a in the sheet for a portion of its length corresponding to the corrugated portion 5. tween the blank portions I5 and I6 of rolls 9 and I0, flat or non-corrugated portions 4 will be formed thereon. The non-corrugated backing 3 is glued to the inner wall 2 as it emerges from the forming rolls 9 and I0, and the individual blanks I are then produced by suitably shearing or cutting the continuous strip of wrapping material in the manner previously described.

The blank I has a central portion I1 and two end flap portions I8 and I9 having free outer edges and 2|, respectively. End flaps I8 and I9 are defined and separated from the central portion I! of blank I by score or fold lines 22 and 23, respectively, which extend transversely of the blank I' and the corrugations 5a in the inner wall 2 (see Figure 1). The score or fold lines 22 and 23 are substantially parallel to the outer edges 20 and 2| and may be formed on the inner corrugated surface of blank I by any suitable scoring or creasing means and it will be understood that these score lines may be formed in the strip of wrapping material prior to cutting blanks I from same if desired.

A fluorescent lamp tube or other elongated article may be packed in the above described blank I in the following manner. End flaps I8 and I9 are first folded inwardly on their respective fold lines 22 and 23, either manually or by a suitable folding mechanism, until the corrugated inner portions of the end flaps I8 and I9 overlie the adjacent corrugated portions of the central portion ll of the blank I, see Figures 4 and 5. The blank I in this folded condition has doublethickness or double-walled end portions 24 and 25 and a single-thickness or single-walled center portion.

The tube 21, which is to be wrapped in my package and which I have shown as a fluorescent lamp having an elongated substantially cylindrical center body portion 21a and projectin end prongs 28 and 29 (see Figures 4 and 5) is then disposed longitudinally upon the center portion I! of the blank I with its ends 30 and 3| substantially in abutting engagement with the respective free edges 20 and 2I of end flaps I8 and I9. With the tube 21 thus positioned upon the folded blank I the projecting contact prongs 28'and 29 will overlie the inwardly folded end flaps I8 and I9 as shown in Figures 4 and 5.

The blank I is next rolled around the tube 21 so that the blank assumes the shape of a cylindrical tube, see Figures 6 and 10, with the single-walled center portion II enclosing the center body portion 21a of the tube 21. This wrapping operation may be accomplished by rolling the tube 21 within the blank I toward the flat portion 4 thereof either manually or by mechanical means. The double-thickness end portions 24 and 25 are concurrently formed into heavy tubular protective walls which enclose the contact prongs 28 and 29, respectively, of the tube 21.

The width of the corrugated portion 5 of blank I,. that is the distance between outer edge I and When the stock passes be-..

. tion 4 may be coated with a suitable adhesive,

such as glue, to adhere the portion 4 to the backing sheet 3 and hold the blank I in wrapped position about the fluorescent tube 21.

When the blank I is wrapped about the fluorescent tube 21 as described, free edges 20 and 2| of the inwardly folded end flaps I8 and I9 become inwardly facing shoulders of the doublethickness portions 24 and 25 and substantially abut the respective ends 30 and 3I of the tube 21. Thus the tube 21 is securely held in position within the package I and cannot shift or shuck in a longitudinal direction within the package during handling or shipping thereof.

In order to supplement the securing action of the glue on flat portion 4 of the blank I, or in some cases to supplant the glue and provide the sole means to hold the package together, tapes 32, 33 and 34 are wound about the package I preferably at each end and around the center thereof as seen in Figures 6 and 10. Tapes 32 and 33 are wound rather tightly about the end portions 24 and 25, respectively, so as to crimp the same and reduce the size of openings in the respective ends of the wrapper of package I. This crimping provides a tight fit of the end portions 24 and 25 of the blank I at the ends 30 and 3|, respectively, of the tube 2'! and further insures that the tube-21 will not shuck or shiftwithin the package. Tape 34 is wound about the center of the package to augment the securing and sealing thereof but it will be understood that in some cases the end tapes will be sufficient while in other cases several tapes may be required properly to hold the package between its ends.

By using my improved package and by employing the novel wrapping method described above, I am able conveniently and effectively to wrap fluorescent tubes or the like in relatively stiff and heavy corrugated paper or board. The past practice of folding over-lapping ends of tubular packages inwardly after the article has been wrapped precludes the use of relatively heavy corrugated paper or board because such material is too stiff and bulky to be tucked into the small open ends of such tubular packages, particularly packages of j the rather small diameters required to fit fluorescent lamp tubes. By folding end flaps I8 and I9 inwardly on their respective fold lines 22 and 23 before placing the fluorescent lamp tube or the'like thereupon and thereafter wrapping the fragile tube, I have overcome these difficulties and also provide most effective means for preventing longitudinal movement of the tube in the package and for protecting the end prongs of a fluorescent lamp.

While I have described the illustrated embodiments of my invention with some degree of particularity, modifications and changes may be made therein by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of my invention. Therefore, I do not wish to be limited to the particular embodiments illustrated and described above nor in any manner other than by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. The method of protectively packaging an elongated cylindrical article in corrugated wrapping material having a corrugated inner wall portion and a non-corrugated backing sheet secured thereto including, cutting a flat blank from said wrapping material, forming fold lines transversely of said blank and extending in a direction substantially parallel to the outer edges of said blank and defining end flaps and a central portion, folding both of said end flaps inwardly on said fold lines toward each other until the corrugated wall portions of said end flaps overlie the corrugated wall portion of the central portion of said blank, disposing the cylindrical article to be packaged on said fiat blank between said outer edges of said inwardly folded end flaps with the ends of said article adjacent said edges, wrapping said material around said article, and securing said wrapping material in wrapped position.

2. The method of protectively packaging an elongated cylindrical article in corrugated wrapping material having a corrugated inner wall portion and a non-corrugated backing sheet secured thereto and fold lines parallel to and spaced from opposite edges thereof including, cutting a fiat blank from said wrapping material, folding said blank inwardly on each of said fold lines to form end flaps, the corrugated wall portions of which overlie and are substantially parallel to the corrugated wall portion of the central portion of said blank, disposing the cylindrical article to be packaged on said fiat blank between the edges of said inwardly folded end flaps with the ends of said article adjacent said edges, wrapping said material around said article, and securing said wrapping material in wrapped position.

RAY T. WHITE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 289,505 Crooke et a1 Dec. 4, 1883 472,462 Mark Apr. 5, 1892 1,037,218 Dirnberger Sept. 3, 1912 1,145,268 Rossy July 6, 1915 1,148,115 Morton July 27, 1915 1,838,797 Towy Dec. 29, 1931 1,973,114 Sherman Sept. 11, 1934 2,043,829 Grant et al. June 9, 1936 2,120,789 Rooth June 14, 1938 2,539,356 Sidebotham Jan. 23, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 166,880 Great Britain Oct. 13, 1921 97,469 Australia July 10, 1924 719,191 France Nov. 14, 1931 2,779/31 Australia June 23, 1932 

